"ROAR!!!"
An inhuman roar erupted from the Hulk's mouth as he clenched his fist and swung it fiercely at Peter Parker.
An enraged Hulk's punch could penetrate nearly half a meter of concrete. His skin was tough enough to withstand missiles, and he could endure temperatures up to a thousand degrees. The only method never used against the Hulk on Earth was probably a nuclear strike.
But even a nuke likely wouldn't kill the Hulk; his regenerative abilities were too strong. If not even a nuclear bomb could kill him, humanity would have lost its final option against the Hulk. Plus, the military had always wanted to harness the Hulk's power, and Bruce Banner consciously avoided populated areas. So, nuclear weapons were never used against him.
But now the Hulk was facing Spider-Man, specifically a Spider-Man enhanced by his bio-nano suit.
Reinforced by the suit, Peter Parker's strength was now on par with the current Hulk. With the suit's AI assistant, Karen, handling an irrational Hulk was within the realm of possibility.
Bang!
Because Nick Fury was lying on the ground right behind him, Peter couldn't dodge. So he raised his arms and took the Hulk's blow head-on, resulting in a huge, dull thud.
The immense force from the Hulk drove Peter's feet over ten centimeters into the ground.
However, the suit helped disperse the kinetic impact, so Peter Parker didn't feel too much discomfort.
Meanwhile, after rescuing Wanda, Quicksilver returned and also grabbed Nick Fury, who was still webbed to the ground. He thoughtfully added electronic restraints to Fury.
"Peter, I've got Nick Fury out!"
"Thanks! You two go deal with Mr. Stark."
Hearing this while locked in a stalemate with the Hulk, Peter Parker instantly grabbed the Hulk's wrists with both hands. Applying massive force, he executed a back suplex, flinging the Hulk away and sending him crashing heavily into the house Nick Fury had just moved out of.
"Are you really just a college student?"
Tony Stark watched Spider-Man toss the Hulk, his face full of disbelief. Unfortunately, his Iron Man mask hid his shocked expression.
But the next second, Tony Stark charged his repulsor, aiming to blast Spider-Man.
However, the moment the repulsor blast fired, the energy ball was enveloped in a red glow.
Boom!
The repulsor energy detonated in mid-air. Tony Stark immediately maneuvered his suit, realizing Wanda was the bigger problem. He planned to gain altitude and harass her with micro-missiles.
It was a good tactical thought—maintain distance against an unknown opponent. But he underestimated Wanda's high-tech staff.
As Iron Man rose to create space, Wanda locked onto him with her staff. The first energy beam forced Tony to take evasive action. The second beam directly shredded his suit.
Then, using her telekinesis, Wanda yanked Tony Stark out through the torn section of his armor and crushed the heavy-duty Mark V suit into pieces.
"Mr. Stark, you're under arrest. But don't worry, it's just one more charge to add to your two hundred-plus lawsuits."
Wanda smiled at Tony Stark. She wasn't taking personal revenge; he just happened to be on the receiving end of her abilities.
"Kid, I know you don't like me, but the situation is different now. If we get arrested, then..."
"Hydra, right? You can't hide that from Mr. Mirai. Your conflict with them isn't a secret to him. And the danger you're worried about simply won't happen, because Mr. Mirai is here."
Wanda shook her head, her tone suggesting she knew more than Tony Stark.
Tony looked surprised, then asked, "If you know, then why are you still coming after us? Compared to Hydra, the Avengers are way less harmful, aren't we?"
"I don't know about that, Mr. Stark. But if you had come to the NYPD as the Avengers to request our help back then, maybe Peter would have agreed. Right now, though, you're fugitives wanted for endangering national security. The Super Seven Team doesn't accept commissions from fugitives."
Quicksilver Pietro spoke up, then continued, "Where are the others? I remember there were six of you. Better to come clean now and get a lawyer together, Mr. Stark."
Tony Stark looked distressed, but he didn't reveal Steve's location. In fact, he didn't even know where Steve and the others had gone. He discreetly glanced at his other two suits, but they were too far away. Without help, he couldn't reach them.
On the other battlefield, the Hulk and Spider-Man were locked in intense combat. The Hulk's skin was incredibly durable. Peter could now punch through twenty-centimeter steel plates with one hit, but it only seemed to piss the Hulk off more.
"Wanda, I don't know if it's just me..."
Bang! Boom!
Peter Parker dodged a lunge from the Hulk, then shot two webs binding the Hulk's legs. He jumped onto the Hulk's back, wrenched one arm back, and locked it tightly. Struggling, he managed to ask,
"But doesn't Dr. Banner seem... bigger?"
Wanda looked and replied, "You're not wrong. He has grown. Mr. Mirai said the Hulk gets stronger the angrier he gets. If you don't stop him soon, all of Brooklyn might be in danger."
"I'm trying..."
Peter replied with difficulty, feeling the Hulk's power continuously increasing. He wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.
"ROAR!!!"
After another roar, the Hulk's muscles bulged again. His height now exceeded 2.7 meters, nearing 3 meters. His arms thickened, and Peter Parker felt his grip slipping.
The next second, the Hulk's wrist expanded slightly. Peter lost his hold, and the Hulk broke free. Caught off guard, Peter was sent flying by a backhand swipe from the Hulk.
The Hulk was now far stronger than before. Peter Parker was punched straight through into the neighboring house, the impact causing the entire small building to collapse.
"Peter!?"
Wanda and Quicksilver exclaimed. Pietro instantly dashed to the collapsed house to rescue Peter Parker.
The Hulk, roaring, charged towards Wanda. But he hadn't run far before Wanda's telekinesis seized him. Rings of red light appeared around the Hulk, binding him in mid-air.
"ROAR!"
The Hulk bellowed repeatedly while floating, but with no leverage in the air and in a state of extreme rage, he just flailed his limbs wildly, completely forgetting the simple move of clapping his hands together.
"Give it a moment, and he'll calm down. Mr. Stark, since you violently resisted arrest, you should be responsible for the damages here."
Even though the company reimbursed them for hero activities, Wanda felt this was Stark's group's fault. Company funds would be better spent on her charity foundation.
Peter Parker struggled up from the rubble. Although the Hulk's punch had been powerful, the bio-nano suit absorbed and dispersed most of the impact. He wasn't hurt, just a bit embarrassed.
"That was a slip-up. If his wrists hadn't gotten thicker, he wouldn't have broken free that fast. I mean, I'm pretty strong too..."
"Uh-huh, uh-huh. You're right. Absolutely. I believe you!"
Pietro replied with standard placating phrases, making Peter feel disheartened. He'd have to edit the video before uploading; otherwise, his perfect hero mission record might come to an end.
Peter Parker一having cleaned the dust off his suit and walked over to Wanda. "How's it going?"
"I can hold him a while longer. Do we need to wait until he turns back into Bruce Banner?"
Wanda's body had been enhanced by Hyuga Mirai, significantly strengthening her telekinesis. She could probably control the Hulk for an hour.
Peter Parker watched the Hulk still struggling in the air and scratched his head. "If he won't change back, we might need to consult an expert. Karen, any ideas?"
"We could try bringing in Betty Ross. Bruce Banner has no other romantic contacts. Betty Ross has a 50% chance of making the Hulk revert to Bruce Banner."
"Where am I supposed to find Betty Ross right now?"
"Searching for Betty Ross's vocal patterns for analysis. Vocal pattern library updated. Do you want to use Betty Ross's voice?"
"You want me to use Betty Ross's voice? NO. Let me think about this. We'll discuss it later, Karen."
Peter Parker asked incredulously. There was no way he was going to impersonate a woman to calm down another man.
The scene was now under control. Without his suit, Tony Stark was just a slightly above-average genius. His hands and feet were cuffed, leaving him powerless to resist. As for Nick Fury, he might even be physically weaker than Tony, equally unable to fight back.
"Should we report to the company? Let's send these three back first, then track down the remaining three. Without Mr. Stark's help, they shouldn't be able to escape my hacking..."
As Peter spoke, several armed military pickups suddenly arrived nearby. Their tires and windows were reinforced.
Pietro tilted his head. "Peter, the company's fast. I didn't expect them to send people so quickly..."
"That's not the company. I haven't called anyone yet."
Peter said, then stepped forward slightly, ready to ask these people their purpose.
Twenty men climbed out of five military pickup trucks. All wore camouflage uniforms, and their bearing and movements were distinctly those of active-duty soldiers.
"Bruce? Controlled to this extent... Whether years ago or now, I've always felt you weren't suited for this kind of power..."
Emil watched the Hulk struggling in the air and shook his head ruefully. Then he led his team towards Peter Parker.
"Stop right there, fellas. We're in the middle of an apprehension operation. What do you think you're doing?"
Peter Parker casually shot a web onto the ground in front of Emil, halting their advance.
Spider-Man, a superhero under Future Biopharmaceuticals, was known to them. The military had bought their super-soldier serum from this very company. Emil was familiar with the profiles of Spider-Man, Wanda, and Quicksilver.
"We're the super-soldier squad under General Ross, currently on a classified apprehension mission. We hope you'll hand over your prisoners. Your job here is done, kid. This is our business now."
If possible, Emil didn't want to clash with Future Biopharmaceuticals' superheroes. But General Ross had given direct orders—this was about military funding. Losing out could mean billions.
Billions could buy thousands of super-soldier serums, so Emil was determined to complete this mission.
"I know who you are. But we're the ones who captured these three. You're welcome to continue pursuing the other three wanted fugitives, if you can catch them faster than we can."
Peter Parker wasn't about to back down either. They knew the full context of the situation far better than the military—they even knew about Hydra. They'd already held a press conference. There was no way they were handing over credit they'd earned. Their goal was the same: apprehend the targets and hand them over to the relevant authorities.
What the military was doing was essentially stealing credit.
"Kid, I don't want a conflict with you, but this is something we have to do... ROAR!"
Before Emil finished speaking, his body transformed into the Abomination, deflecting the web shot his way.
"What the fu_ck?"
Peter Parker yelped in shock. Another guy who could transform on demand? And he hadn't even injected any serum.
"First squad, inject the serum! The rest, fall back and provide support!"
After transforming into the Abomination, Emil issued the order in a deep, rumbling voice. He shielded the five soldiers as they injected themselves with the serum.
The next second, five soldiers also grew in size, standing just over twenty centimeters shorter than the 2.7-meter Abomination—grotesque, massive beings.
"Shit, they're trying to take our prisoners! Pietro, get Mr. Stark and Director Fury out of here! Wanda, get on your staff. Looks like they don't have long-range weapons..."
Peter quickly strategized, firing webs continuously to restrain several military super-soldiers trying to rush forward and seize the prisoners.
Hearing the command, Pietro grabbed Stark and Nick Fury, one under each arm, and sped away instantly. His speed was so great that Emil couldn't even see his afterimage—the prisoners were just gone!
"Keep an eye on the Hulk! Second and Third squads, stand by for support!"
Emil roared in frustration. If the Hulk escaped again, they'd have wasted precious super-soldier serum!
On the top floor of Future Biopharmaceuticals.
Hyuga Mirai, Kurenai Yuhi, and Tsunade were watching the whole thing through multiple camera feeds. The earlier fight with the Hulk had been a bit boring for Kurenai and Tsunade, but now, with the Abomination and five super-soldiers, they were suddenly much more interested.
"Mirai, who do you think will win?"
Kurenai Yuhi asked curiously. She was lounging, eating grapes peeled by Hyuga Mirai. Without Kiyo around to scold her, life was wonderfully comfortable.
"Peter Parker will win. His biggest asset right now is his suit's assistance. The thing is, he barely ever uses it!"
Hyuga Mirai answered confidently. "He hardly even uses it during training. Compared to the suit, he still prefers his own webs."
(End of Chapter)